Heretofore, spring clips for automotive wheel covers have generally been formed integrally with the wheel or the cover therefor, or were riveted or welded in place. However, some separate clips have been utilized but usually have required a suitable tool or strenuous squeezing by hand to assist in the installation or removal of the clip intermediate the wheel cover and the wheel. For example, Horn U.S. Pat. No. 2,800,368 discloses a spring clip having notched adjacent legs which are compressed or squeezed together by hand or by a tool to insert into and engage an opening in the wheel body. Lyon U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,926,960; 2,964,358 and 2,981,566 each include retaining clips which engage the extreme outer peripheral edge of the respective wheel rims.
Dully et al U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,885 discloses clips 38 which are convoluted to spring fit between the body and rim of a vehicle wheel, with an extended bead which interlocks with spaced teeth on the outer periphery of a wheel cover. Lettner U.S. Pat. No. 3,923,295 illustrates and describes a spring clip having a hook-like holding lug for insertion through a hole in a plate portion of a wheel rim, and a support lug and clamping yoke for confining a circular heading of a hub cap.
Schwers U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,514 discloses a retention clip having an inner arm with barbs formed thereon for entering a recess in a plastic boss of a wheel cover or wheel trim rim, and an outer cam portion and barbed portion adapted to being placed in tension so as to be forced into an annular humped portion of the wheel to lock the wheel cover in place on the wheel.
Arvidsson U.S. Pat. No. 4,598,952 discloses a plurality of clamps in combination with a ring member for mounting a wheel ring or wheel disc on a vehicle wheel, with the ring in interlocking contact with the wheel ring, and a free curved end portion urged into position in a peripheral recess adjacent the rim edge until a support portion contacts the rim. There are no anti-rotation provisions included.
Narita et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,679,861 includes a resilient retaining member having a body portion with a tongue for fitting into a ribbed receptacle in the wheel cover, and a substantially W-shaped pair of retaining members, one of which includes a resilient tongue for engaging the wheel disc, and the other of which includes a spring catch for engaging a humped area of the wheel rim.